Page 126 of Koroleva

"Don't say that too loud, boss, you know I'm quick with a slap," my friend muttered with a chuckle.

I got up from the stool and gave my friend a heartfelt hug.

"Any ideas for a getaway?" I asked, returning to my seat.

"Ummm, well, if you invite me to a beer with tequila and a slice of lime, I'm sure my ideas will clear up and I'll come up with some unforgettable place ready for conquest." I raised my fingers and Dante moved towards the fridge.

"Coming up, a cold round of Desperados for a man desperate for his wife."

"Hey, I'm the one who asked for that beer!" Irene exclaimed.

"Yes, but for you, I'm going to pour an Urban Blue Beer, you deserve a fancier one, damn it."

"I won't object to that," Irene accepted with her usual playful attitude. She took out her phone and placed it on the bar. "Let's see what destination we can find for the conquest."

49

Let's negotiate

I grabbed the spare phone I kept in the room and called my mother as soon as Romeo left the house.

It wasn't the first time I had destroyed an object in a fit of nerves, so I made sure to always have a spare on hand.

I needed to talk to her about my discovery regarding Adriano; after all, she was his grandmother, and I needed her support to raise my nephew. It took me a couple of calls to reach her. Just when I was about to hang up, she answered with an annoyed tone.

"Am I catching you at a bad time?" I knew her well enough to know that I was.

"A bit, honestly. What's up, Nikita?"

"Can I come pick you up wherever you are, and we talk? It's a complex matter."

"Now's not a good time, better we meet tomorrow and have lunch together." I could imagine why she didn't have time for me.

"Mom, are you sleeping with the enemy?" She let out a nervous chuckle, and although she surely tried to cover the phone's microphone, I heard her whisper an apology. It took her ten seconds to get back on the line.

"So, what's going on?" That was the most I would get from her.

"Adriano is Yuri's son." Best to cut to the chase.

"What?!" Her voice cracked.

"You're a grandmother, mom."

"I'm too young to be a grandmother. And what's this nonsense about your husband's child? Who's been feeding you this nonsense?"

"It's no nonsense. My husband took care of the child without knowing if he was his father." I heard her sigh on the other end of the line. "Yuri and Romeo had a threesome in university, and the result was Adriano."

"Then he could be anyone's."

"I thought the same, that's why on Monday we went for DNA tests which showed that the child is a Korolev. So I want you to take him to San Petersburgo when you go back."

"To San Petersburgo?"

"That's what I said. I don't give a damn if my husband doesn't want to, that child is ours and you need to raise him."

"Me?! Are you insane?! I've already birthed and raised four, I'm not about to sacrifice more for... for..."

"Your grandson! Your grand-son!" I exclaimed impatiently.

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